The Finer Points of Slushie Removal
by moonswirl
Summary: Gleekathon, day one hundred and sixty-three: This is the first time Quinn gets a slushie facial, and Rachel is there to help her clean up.


_Started my daily ficlets to make the hiatus pass, then decided to keep going with a second cycle, and then a third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh cycle. Now here's cycle 8!_

* * *

**"The Finer Points of Slushie Removal"  
Rachel & Quinn**

There was something about the first time you got a face full of slushie that made it unforgettable. The ice had its frozen sting, and then the syrup… If it wasn't that it actually still smelled tasty as it dribbled down your frozen face…

The first time it happened to Quinn, the shock of ice took her right down her spine. This wasn't supposed to happen, not… not to her, how could it? She was a Cheerio, she was popular, she was… okay, yes, she was also in Glee Club, and now they knew she was pregnant... Maybe she should have seen it coming, or just had the presence of mind to know it was only a matter of time…

Finn wanted to help her, but she just ran off to hide in the bathroom, to try to get clean. She wiped her face with her sleeve… she was already covered in the stuff, so that ship had sailed, no returning. She scooped some of the stuff, which was congealing on her head, before reaching to undo her ponytail. Her hair resisted coming down, so trapped by the icy drink. She frowned… How terrible. She didn't want anyone to see her… so of all the people to come through that door to witness her in her post-slushie baptism glory, it could only be her.

When the door opened, she turned away so whoever came in wouldn't see her face. In doing so, she saw her in the mirror. Rachel paused just inside the room. Quinn closed her eyes for a moment before calling over her shoulder, "Come in and shut the door… please?" After blinking a moment, Rachel did as told. There was silence for a moment before Rachel spoke.

"You okay?" Quinn chuckled to herself, still turned away.

"What do you think?" Rachel walked up to her. Quinn finally turned to face her, not saying a word. After a pause, Rachel once again took up the challenge of breaking the silence before it got to be too overpowering.

"Need a hand?" Quinn would have loved nothing more than to turn her down in that moment, and she might have, if not for the fact that she knew two things: One, she knew that she couldn't do everything alone and, two, she wanted as few people as possible to know. She sighed.

"Yeah… thanks."

"Okay, I'll be right back," she told her.

After Rachel stepped out, Quinn looked back to her reflection in the mirror, dripping less now as the stuff was drying stickily on her face, neck, hair… it was everywhere.

That was going to be her life now, wasn't it? All these things sticking to her, changing everything, the way they all saw her… and she wouldn't be able to hide from it, it'd just be all over her… sticky… No matter how strong she thought she was, sometimes she worried this thing might be the one that was stronger than her.

Rachel soon returned with a chair, a towel, a bottle of shampoo, and what she recognized to be her gym t-shirt. Rachel held it out. "Thought you might need it, if you wanted to change," she indicated her slushied uniform. Quinn nodded, taking it. She went into the stall, shutting the door before she could change. After removing the regular sleeveless top, and then the – formerly – white shirt underneath, she looked at herself.

No one could tell yet, while she still had her Cheerios uniform, but once it was off, they'd know, they'd see… She put the t-shirt on, feeling almost exposed, with her start-of-a-belly contoured…

"I get some in my nose so many times, I smell grape, or cherry, and I get a chill…" she could hear Rachel's voice outside the stall. Instinctively, Quinn smirked.

"I think I got some in my ear," she shared, digging at it.

"No worries, we'll get it out," Rachel promised, just as Quinn came out of the stall. She stopped, her eyes falling a few inches. She blinked and made to look back up, hoping not to have offended her. Quinn chose to ignore it.

"I'll wash the shirt before I return it," she smiled lightly. "Thank you," she spoke, hushed.

"Sure," Rachel smiled back, moving to the chair she'd placed at the sink. "Sit," she nodded her over. Quinn felt awkward for a moment, but finally went to sit, leaning her head back. She closed her eyes as she felt the water being dropped carefully over her hair. "Is it alright?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah, don't worry about it," Quinn assured her, eyes opening on their own for a split second, seeing Rachel overhead, before closing again.

"It's amazing how it all just… gets in there, I… it's almost like sand, just when you think you got it all… there's a little more." Quinn stayed quiet for a while. Finally, as Rachel put the shampoo in, Quinn spoke up, eyes half-open.

"I'm sorry I laughed." Rachel didn't speak. "Guess you can't tell how not-funny it is until…"

"I know… I get it." Rachel looked to her for a moment. Her cheek was wet… but it wasn't from the wash. Part of her wanted to do something, to pat her shoulder, or… She got back to washing her hair.

Eventually, Quinn's hair was good and clean. She finished washing her face, her hands, which still had slushie on them. Her hair was still wet, curling up lightly. She picked up the discarded sticky clothes before looking back to Rachel.

"Thank you," she nodded. Rachel smiled. Quinn headed out, hoping she knew just how thankful she was.

THE END


End file.
